Conference Papers | 2009 Conference Papers

CONDITION ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES FOR WATER STORAGE TANKS

Sam Magill, Condition Assessment Technician & Commercial Potable Diver, Aqualift Potable Diving

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ABSTRACT

The majority of water utilities have some form of water storage tanks, most often constructed from steel or concrete. These tanks are an integral part of the potable water distribution network but are often taken for granted from a maintenance and condition assessment point of view.

To ensure they can be adequately inspected and maintained, a condition assessment system must be implemented. The aim of any condition assessment system for water storage tanks is to collect adequate and appropriate data and images that can be compared with each other.

Many condition assessment projects have failed to provide their intended outcomes because the WHOLE process has not been properly thought out - it is no use collecting information if it cannot be processed successfully and stored. It is also a waste of valuable resources if no-one can easily access the information and read the end results.

This paper will outline the important issues in developing an assessment system and will concentrate on most of the external issues relating to steel and concrete tanks. This type of system should be implemented for all internal features as well.